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Wednesday, May 11, 2011

We're big Disney fans and so were thrilled to experience some Disney magic right here at home with a special tour today of the all-new interactive Disney store at Chandler Fashion Center! It is one of over 25 newly-designed stores opening in North America in 2011--and the first one to open in Arizona! Not surprisingly, Big Brother could hardly wait to get in!

The new store concept is centered around giving guests an interactive and magical experience, aimed to deliver "the best 30 minutes of a child's day"! Disney definitely knows how to do "magical" and as with everything they do, the difference is in the details. This is immediately apparent upon entering the store--even the floor sparkles with "pixie dust".

The 12-ft high fully animated "Translucent Trees" dominate the store's "skyline" and are complete with hidden Mickeys. The projections changed throughout the morning. Then, there's the special mural that wraps around the top of the entire store! You might think that all the stores would have the same mural, but not so! This one is modeled with sites around Chandler and desert scenery unique to Arizona! Again with those incredible details! Tink and Wall-E even appeared on the walls from time to time!

There are four main interactive areas throughout the store, making shopping there so much more of an "experience" than just another store. It really is a big shift from the older/non-remolded stores! Even from outside the store, the most noticeable of these new magical features is the delight of many little girls. A large princess castle!!

And, this castle is even complete with Magic Mirror! When a child walks up with any of the special princess merchandise, the princess that matches the item will appear in the mirror. All the little girls this morning seemed to be in awe! Big Brother was more interested in showing the mirror his new-found Buzz Lightyear Super Blaster though, so no princesses for us!

Kids of all ages seemed to enjoy the plush toy area--and not just for the toys! The display itself is interactive, with a tunnel to crawl through, gears to spin, and buttons to push! Little Brother was thrilled to get out of his stroller to check it out!

Not surprisingly, Big Brother was most enthralled with the Disney-Pixar CARS-branded RideMakerz experience, where kids can create their very own custom car! In fact, he's already informed me that he wants to do that for his birthday! :) From various bodies & wheels to various decals & accessories, the options seem nearly endless!

And last but certainly not least, there is a Disney Store Theater! Under a lighted in-store gazebo, sits this interactive theater experience. I loved that there is a kid-sized table & chairs inside (which today was set up with Disney coloring pages & crayons). But, the coolest thing is that families can choose the content they want to watch in the Disney Store Theater!

There are touch-screen displays (kid-height, of course) with selections of various films, shows, characters, and songs so that you can choose to see your favorites! Making this experience all the more magical, you can come in for a celebration and watch it come up on the theater screen! Birthdays, unbirthdays, anniversaries, birth of a new baby, good report cards, you name it! Just let any cast member know when you come into the store what you're celebrating and they'll arrange it all for you during your store visit!

Not surprisingly, we were really impressed with the new Disney Store and had a fantastic time checking everything out! Thank you, Disney, for inviting us!!! As far as Big Brother was concerned, the only problem was having to leave and not being able to buy 10 different things in the store! :)

For local readers, the store opened today, May 11th. But, the store is having it's Grand Opening Celebration on Saturday, May 21st complete with special guests of honor:

*Characters alternate every 30 minutes. Character appearances are subject to change or cancellation without notice. Call store for more details at (480) 812-1661 and/or check out the facebook event page.

Have YOU been to one of the all-new interactive Disney Stores? What did you think?

Disclosure: All opinions and experiences are my own. We attended a press tour and received a gift for attending the event, but was not compensated to provide this review. We simply LOVE Disney and had a great time! For more information,read my disclosure policy.